What Never Changes
by reika527
Summary: What Sasuke's return to Konoha might be like. Eventual Kakashi/Sasuke, mentions of Genma/Raidou. Title, summary, and possibly the rating as well are subject to change, despite the stories completion.
1. What Never Changes

Drip

Drip... Drip… Drip…

"He's fucking _insane_." The words were hissed around the needle that was constantly in the tokubetsu jounin's mouth. If Uchiha Sasuke was correct, that would be the tenth time in this hour alone that the idiot with an oral fixation had directed those words at him. "How else can he stand that? That dripping faucet is going to drive me just as crazy as him!"

Which, of course, was the intent. Had Shiranui Genma been alone, there was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that he would have been stupid to open up the door to the cell to attack Sasuke and turn off the dripping faucet. Not necessarily in that order. But, unfortunately, Genma wasn't alone. That man with the strange scars on his face was there, and he was a lot more even-tempered than his partner. If Sasuke squinted, he could just barely make out their profiles through the thick blindfold obscuring his vision almost entirely, but he didn't want to strain his eyes. His sense of hearing and smell would be more than enough to overpower the two tokubetsu jounin if he ever got a chance to fight them, and they both knew it. The difference was, Genma was stupid enough or perhaps brave enough (most likely some mixture of the two, much like another boy... No, man now… Or, rather boy-man, as that person would probably never grow up) to ignore the flawless logic that dictated that Sasuke could easily beat him, and the more logical scarred man too. Either that, or the man was assuming that Sasuke was powerless just because he was blindfolded.

It was a foolish assumption. Having the sharingan didn't mean that he could neglect heightening his other senses. If Sasuke had done that, he probably wouldn't have lived to the handsome age of eighteen. Handsome indeed: while as a younger teen, Sasuke had been slim, short, and somewhat effeminate, though he was loathe to admit it, he'd grown to an imposing height. Every inch of his uniformly pale frame was comprised of lean muscle, and while he had never become as brawny or broad-shouldered as he secretly wished, Sasuke was content with his appearance. So were the assortment of partners he'd taken over the years.

Speaking of partners, it appeared that the scarred man and needle sucker were more than just work partners, if Sasuke's well-trained ears weren't deceiving him. That certainly wouldn't do. If he couldn't even jerk off, there was no way in hell that those two were going to be allowed to get it on while they were supposed to be watching him. It was difficult to maneuver the tap of the sink with his hands chained up, but Sasuke wasn't called a genius for nothing.

Dripdripdripdripdripdripdrip… Dripdripdripdripdripdripdrip….

There was silence as the sounds of making out abruptly died. And then Shiranui Genma started to scream again. In his cell, trussed up and blindfolded, Sasuke couldn't help but smirk.


	2. Greetings

"Genma, Raidou

"Genma, Raidou. The Hokage is asking for you two. I'm here to relieve you." The quiet voice came from somewhere far to Sasuke's left, and he immediately tensed. Silently, he listened to the sounds of the two grateful tokubetsu jounin taking their leave, and then to footsteps coming closer before stopping. Though his eyes were closed with the futile hope that if he couldn't see the person then the person wouldn't be able to see him, Sasuke knew that the newcomer was standing just before the heavily padlocked door into his cell.

"Hello, Sasuke." Now that he was being addressed, Sasuke could detect slight nuances of change in he familiar voice. It sounded more tired than it had before, and rougher too, a little strained. Had it been anyone else, Sasuke would have thought that the owner of the voice had been crying. But not the famous Hatake Kakashi, not Copy-nin Kakashi, the elite jounin with a perfect record. Well, nearly perfect. Inwardly, Sasuke winced. Having one's student run off to join the proverbial dark side, and then return with the intent to destroy the very village that he risked his life for each day was sure to have marred the otherwise flawless record that Kakashi held. Not that he regretted defecting, not one damn bit. He was powerful now. And that made it all worth it.

Only... Though he couldn't see, Sasuke could feel Kakashi's eyes on him, and couldn't help but wonder if things would have turned out differently if he had remained in Konoha to grow up with those mismatched-eyes always watching over him. Perhaps if he had, he wouldn't have so many scars standing out clearly against his pallid flesh, hidden by dirty clothes that fit loosely on his strong but clearly malnourished body. There were other scars too; scars that would never be seen but were even more permanent than the scars on his body, the consequences of years spent being forced to do inherently evil things. No, not forced! Never forced: an Uchiha wasn't forced. He always _chose_, Sasuke's mind amended… Even when there wasn't much of a choice.

If he had remained in Konoha... If, if, if. But the past couldn't be changed; this, Sasuke knew better than most. And even if it could (there was that dreaded word _if_ again, such an offensive little word that carried so much weight) be changed, he wouldn't change a thing. Experiences had shaped him into the powerful man he was today. Not necessarily good experiences, but he had acquired power and he was proud of the man he had become.

He had no regrets. Anything that Sasuke lost on his path to power was part of the price he had to pay. And no price was too high.

While the raven-haired man was seemingly lost in thought, Kakashi studied him carefully. One weary eye took in the many ways that Sasuke had changed during the time he had been gone, the other eye covered as it customarily was. Unlike Sasuke, Kakashi felt that he had remained stagnant over the years of the Uchiha's absence. Outwardly, he hadn't changed in the slightest, aside from the fact that he occasionally donned a slightly different uniform, and that the Icha Icha volume he carried with him was a different edition. His feelings, however, were quite different, as Sasuke would soon see.

Entering the cell silently, Kakashi locked the door behind him. Even chained up, with all his no-doubt mighty power suppressed, Uchiha Sasuke was an impressive figure. Staring at the younger man, he felt a tremor run through his body. Damn, but he'd grown up to be even handsomer than he had been as a child! Kakashi missed the boy that Sasuke had been, a little spitfire masked by a veil of emotionless-ness that was so easy to see through, full of raw talent with a one-track mind that was going to lead him straight to hell. Though, apparently, that single track had led also led him right back out of hell, all in one sexy piece too.

"I didn't need to be saved." The terse words came from Sasuke were undoubtedly directed at Kakashi, though his eyes were still closed behind the blindfold and even if they had been open, he was facing the wall. The words brought Kakashi back to the present and made him smile beneath his mask. Sasuke's tongue hadn't grown any less sharp, apparently.

"You're still here." Annoyed, Sasuke muttered, making Kakashi chuckle softly. During his time in the Sound village, he'd heard some stories about Kakashi, and knowing that he'd chosen words designed to cut the older man to the quick while at the same time alleviating some of his guilt. But it didn't seem to have worked. Why wouldn't the porn-reading fool just go away? It was bad enough to be trapped in this cell, bound so tightly he could hardly move with chains that suppressed the power he'd worked so hard to earn, and fucking _blindfolded_. What made it even worse was knowing that the various guards could see him. The only consolation Sasuke got was driving the guards crazy, and also knowing that he could (and would) pulverize every single one of them when he ever got the chance.

Knowing that it was Kakashi seeing him like his... The one man he'd ever respected since the death of his family... That made it even worse. Perhaps it was some kind of bizarre new torture tactic with a catchy name like 'lets see how long it takes the Uchiha to crack when we use the one man still alive that he respects as his jailer. That sadistic bitch of a Hokage was probably laughing her ass off, watching them through that damn crystal ball.

"I'm not going to leave. Not just yet anyways. I'll have to, soon, though. Rules. Can't be in here with an S-Ranked criminal and all." Hearing Kakashi step closer to him, Sasuke tensed, though he had no reason to be afraid. Years of living under conditions of questionable safety had given him an acute sense of when he was in true danger. Sasuke knew Kakashi knew that Sasuke knew that Kakashi meant him no harm. Yet Sasuke was afraid anyways. Afraid of being inspected, of being judged and of being found wanting, afraid of disappointment, and of looks of disapproval that he wouldn't be able to see anyways.

"You could just come during visiting hours, you know. It'd make things simpler if you weren't always late for everything." For the first time since the previous day, Uchiha Sasuke actually smiled. "You never change, do you."


	3. The Question

"Now Sasuke

"Now Sasuke. You know as well as I do that if I stopped frequenting all the places that I'm not welcome at, I'd have nothing to do with my day." They'd been through this exact speech hundreds of times. Three hundred and sixty four times, to be exact. That was the number of days that Sasuke had been imprisoned four, the number of days since his return, the number of days that Kakashi had visited him on, always well after the official visiting hours were over. The number of days that had passed since Kakashi realized he was in love with his former student. No, that term wasn't quite right for Sasuke. To say that was to imply that Sasuke wanted to have lessons imparted upon him. It still hurt sometimes, a dull ache in the general vicinity of his heart, that Sasuke had chosen to be taught by a reptilian man with a penchant for little boys rather than remain in Konoha and be instructed by him.

But Kakashi, unlike his wayward one-time ward, wasn't one for dwelling on the past. As far as the copy-nin was concerned, he only had two eyes: one for the present, and one for the future. To look into the past, he'd have to keep twisting his head around, and that could only lead to pain. What better example of that was there than Sasuke? The boy had permanently damaged himself in innumerable ways trying to see all three at once. No matter what kind of eyes a person possessed, that simple wasn't possible. Not for the first time, Kakashi was grateful for the blindfold. The pity in his one visible eye, had it been visible to Sasuke, would have only angered the younger man. Never had Kakashi met a person so against sympathy. It made sense, of course. Someone smothered with pity, with false affections considered true by those that wore their hearts on their sleeves, would doubtlessly grow to hate it with time.

"Have they announced my punishment yet? It's nearly been a year." This year, this interminable year. Over it, Sasuke had resolved that he'd go quietly to his death, if it came to that. It didn't occur to Sasuke that there was no way that the Hokage would willingly execute him, or that the elders of the council would willingly vote for his execution. The sharingan was a valuable asset to the Leaf village's arsenal of weapons, and by executing Sasuke they'd be depriving the Village of that weapon. Self-deprecation wasn't a common trait among leaders. Execution seemed like the most obvious punishment for his many sins. And Sasuke would go willingly. Never again would he run away. Quite literally, he'd rather die than do that.


	4. Still Asking

"They're letting you go

"They're letting you go."

"Wait, what?" The abrupt change in Kakashi's voice threw Sasuke, not to mention the shocking words he'd just imparted. Not the part about being set free. That had yet to be processed by his boggled mind. The bit about Kakashi's compliancy, and the tone he'd spoken in. The copy-nin really hadn't changed at all! Still infuriating, still utterly incomprehensible. From somewhere outside the cell came a muffled snort of laughter. Confusion immediately turned to anger. There weren't many people that could sneak up on Uchiha Sasuke, but if anyone had the ability it would surely be the one remaining member of the Legendary Three. How long had the buxom blond bitch otherwise known as the Hokage been standing there?

"Well, not quite letting you go. Get out of that cell, Kakashi. Even if our very own little renegade is being released, there's still protocol to be followed." Had he been able to, Sasuke would have clenched his fists in anger. All he could do was grit his teeth and silently plot assassination attempts that he knew he'd never get the chance to carry out while listening to the sound of his cell door being opened and Kakashi's quiet footsteps as he exited. The Hokage's condescending attitude and utter lack of respect for him and his prowess had earned her Sasuke's eternal enmity. It wasn't like with Kakashi who could, to a degree, tease him and get away with it. The Hokage wasn't his… What was Kakashi to him anyways? A friend, he supposed, though he'd be hard put to admit this aloud.

"There was talk about housing you with someone strong enough to restrain you, should it become necessary. Someone even volunteered." It was easy to tell by her voice that she was smiling. Once again thanking whomever had come up with the bright idea to blindfold Sasuke, Kakashi worked on getting his blush to fade away, hopefully before it was noticed. It was too late, by the by. The Hokage had already noted it, but gave no sign of it. She did have _some_ sense of decorum: teasing the Uchiha brat was one thing, but Kakashi was another entirely. Anyways, she'd wait for a better time to use the embarrassment against him. No sense in refusing another gun for her arsenal of blackmail items. "But to be quite frank, it's not worth the trouble. You've done what you wanted to do." The "we're not afraid of you" remained unsaid, but Sasuke heard it loud and clear.

"It's been a year. You're not going to learn your lesson, or suddenly realize that what you did was wrong, so there's no point in keeping you here any longer. You've gotten your power, and now you're going to use it. For us. I expect you to show up at my office sometime tomorrow. We'll give you a formal test then. And expect to be watched, for a while at least." Without further ado, Sasuke found himself being unbound by the Hokage. He pulled off the blindfold himself. Thankfully, the room was dimly lit, otherwise it might have hurt.

The first thing he saw was Kakashi. The man was grinning, his one visible eye upturned in an overjoyed crescent. Perhaps it wasn't such an annoying smile after all.

"I still don't quite understand." They were walking now, out of the underground facility into an underground tunnel. The general populace still didn't know of his return, and Tsunade was adamant that the secret be kept for a while longer, until a formal announcement was made. It didn't matter to Sasuke. Underground, above ground, he was _free. _And that meant that he was on cloud nine, no matter where he was walking. Or hobbling, rather. A less proud man might have accepted the hand that Kakashi kept proffering, but he was determined to make it on his own. This was the first time Sasuke had really, truly walked anywhere in a year.

While Sasuke basked in the joy of being unrestrained, Kakshi was gradually losing his patience. The arrogant little fool, still considered little by Kakashi though they were of a height now, kept brushing him off with a haughty glare each time he tried to assist the boy. Never mind that his intentions weren't entirely pure, but he really had Sasuke's best interests at heart. After the tenth time that Sasuke, much to his chagrin, tripped over his own feet, Kakashi stopped in his tracks.

"Would you just hold my stupid hand already! How difficult is it?"


	5. Answered

For the second time that day, Sasuke became utterly befuddled by Kakashi's words

For the second time that day, Sasuke became utterly befuddled by Kakashi's words. Turning to look at the older man, the ex-avenger scrutinized him closely for the first time. In comparison to the many drastic changes that had overtaken his body in his absence from Konoha, Kakashi had remained utterly similar to his old self. Yet there was something different about him as well, a flash of change among all the sameness. When blindfolded, Sasuke had felt it in Kakashi's gaze when the man came to visit him, felt that Kakashi's view of him had changed. At first, this led him to fear anger, fear rejection, but that didn't seem to be it. It wasn't that there was something new in his eyes. That, Sasuke would have recognized from the start. More like something was missing.

When had they gotten so close together? Had the copy-nin not been wearing his mask, Sasuke would have been able to feel his breath. It was odd, that their eyes met now. Though the silver hair atop Kakashi's head lent him several more inches, it appeared that they were now of a height. There was that odd not-look again: what was so different about that lone eye? Always it had looked upon him favorably, the look of a teacher to a prodigious pupil, that single eye. The second rarely seen by all, a mismatched mutation of his family's legacy kept hidden by the man it had been gifted to. As a child, he'd been angered by the cover, thinking it was a sign of ingratitude, that this lazy, tardy teacher hadn't wanted the present and so kept it covered. Now he knew better.

And there it was. The realization. When surprisingly soft lips pressed against his, he knew. It wasn't that something was missing, rather, that something had changed. From student to equal, that was his current status as opposed to his old one. Which didn't explain the kiss, but that Sasuke didn't particularly care about. He could work out the answer to that on his own, without the aid of physical touch though he certainly wouldn't reject it. For, as much as he really needed a friend right now, amidst these troubled times where he'd try to reintegrate himself into a society that he'd abandoned, then attacked, Sasuke wanted something more as well. Something it seemed that Kakashi would provide. Sasuke knew, he'd always known, that Kakashi would be there for him. As a teacher, a friend, and a lover too.

That's what would never change.


End file.
